… synergises with GIMPA to enhance training of professionals
The Ghana Institute of Procurement and Supply (GIPS) is urging the government to allocate the procurement of goods and services valued below GHȼ2 million to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
It said this should be deliberate and targeted at goods and services where local capacity and expertise exist. GIPS said such a move is important to develop and grow SMEs, helping them to build capacity, expand and access new markets.
“Procurement is a critical tool for developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. So, any procurement below GHȼ2 million should be seeded to the SMEs and this will help them to grow and become competitive because if they are able to bid for government businesses and win, the same capacity and expertise could be leveraged elsewhere,” President of GIPS, Simon Annan has said.
Meanwhile in the long-term, the plan, he explained, should be to support manufacturers, especially SMEs, with incentives to produce some of the commonly consumed goods domestically.
Given that about 70 percent of the country’s annual budget is spent on goods and services, he said procurement could be leveraged as a catalyst for industrialisation, ensuring socio-economic growth through local participation.
“Globally, procurement, a sub-process of supply chain management, plays an essential role in local and regional-wide industrialisation. However, industrialisation can only occur in an enabling environment that includes an attitudinal change in consumer behaviour, investment into infrastructure, and regional cooperation.
“The country’s socio-economic development agenda can also not be achieved without the appreciation of the value of procurement in driving stakeholder value within the entire value chain, providing solutions tailored for dealing with societal issues such as systemic corruption, high-interest rates, price hikes and falling local currency,” he stated.
MoU with GIMPA
He made this remark as his outfit signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) to enhance the training of procurement professionals.
The Institute is confident that partnering with an international, credible, and innovative institute such as GIMPA will enhance its vision of ensuring procurement professionalisation.
“Unfortunately, the negative perception of procurement has taken centre stage in this noble profession, and non-professionals within this ecosystem are flouting the provisions in our laws, thereby causing financial irregularities as evidenced in the Auditor-General’s annual report of which procurement infractions constitute over 70 percent.
“This MoU provides for the collaboration of both parties to seek and encourage transformation, inclusive growth, and socio-economic development of Ghana and Africa,” Mr. Annan added.
For his part, the Rector of GIMPA, Prof. Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, noted that the partnership is a step in the right direction in bridging the industry and academia gap.
“We value the industry experience for our students and that is what we do at GIMPA – trying to find a good balance between theory and practical. So, partnerships such as this will help students appreciate the world of work and foster industry readiness,” he said.
